1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel strain of Pleurotus nebrodensis (Daewang No. 1, Accession No.: KACC93181P) and a method for cultivating it.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sp.) belongs to pine mushroom family, and is called “Chunhwasim” or “Mani” in Sino-Korean word. The oyster mushroom is often found all over Korea in autumn, in a dried main stem, a fallen stem, a hewn root and so on of broadleaf trees, such as oak, alder, cottonwood and willow trees. It is known that the oyster mushroom is spread in places like China, Japan, Europe, North America and Siberia as well as Korea. The fruit body of the oyster mushroom is sprouted about October to December and March to April, and the pileus of the oyster mushroom has a color of light-gray or gray-brown and a shape of semicircular or fanwise. It is desired that the pileus of the oyster mushroom has a diameter of 2 to 3 cm, and as it grows too big, the market value is depreciated. A log-cultivation method or a bottle-cultivation method using sawdust is used for the artificial cultivation of the oyster mushroom. The oyster mushroom is very low in calories and rich in cellulose and moisture, and gives the feeling of fullness.
Pleurotus ferulae is a grassland type saprophyte that prefers steppe climate. It has been known as Pleurotus ferulae because of being found around Ferulae tree in Xinjiang Province, China which is an arid region. Taxonomically, because Pleurotus ferulae is a controversial strain, it is classified in more than one species, as a variant species of King oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae); or an independent species in the Pleurotus genus of the Pleurototaceae family of basidiomycetes (Pleurotus ferulae).
It is known that Pleurotus ferulae grows naturally in subtropical areas or grassland areas of Southern Europe, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, France, North Africa, Central Asia, South Russia and North America. In Japan Pleurotus ferulae is called “Baeng-Nyeong-Gi” or “Seor-Hal”, and in China it is called “A-Wie-Chuk-Yi”, “A-Wie-Go” or “Baeng-Nyeong-Go”. Further, because Pleurotus ferulae is shaped similar to “Baeng-Nyeong” oyster mushroom (Pleurotus nebrodensis), they are named to be mixed.
Pleurotus ferulae is a little breed of mushroom produced about 1,000 ton per a year worldwide. Compared to other mushrooms, Pleurotus ferulae has a good figure, a full flavor, a high edibility value, and is effective in anti-aging, anti-tumor, anemia alleviation, blood pressure regulation and blood sugar reduction. Further, it is known that Pleurotus ferulae can improve stomach and kidney functions, keep under a cough and remove inflammation, and be useful in obstetrics and gynecology diseases. Pleurotus ferulae has a lot of dietary fiber, amino acids and vitamin, and is well worth a health functional food and a functional medicated mushroom. Recently, in Japan, Pleurotus ferulae is being used for food because of very valuable as food and medicine, and thereby increasing its demand continuously.
However, although Pleurotus ferulae is very valuable as food and medicine, it has been providing and circulating only in small quantity to actual consumers. The annual production of Pleurotus ferulae is small and the produced mushrooms are easily damaged in harvesting and packaging. Therefore, it is difficult to provide high quality of Pleurotus ferulae that consumers want.
Thus, various studies are being carried out briskly to provide high quality of Pleurotus ferulae for consumers, and patent applications about this are being increased. Registered Korean Patent No. 10-0403411 (Oct. 15, 2003) discloses “The NOVEL PLEUROTUS FERULAE-K9 AND THE CULTURE METHOD FOR THEREOF”, but it takes long period of 82 days from inoculation of the strain of Pleurotus ferulae in a medium to germinating of mushroom. Although being grown during the long cultivation period, many mushrooms have a fat body and are produced with deformed stipe and pileus. Thus, the quality of products is considerably degraded and not available on the market.
On the other hand, in case of an introduced species whose production and sale were reported in Korean Seed Management Office in 2007, the mushroom was introduced from China in 2003 and bottle cultivation was being attempted. However, the fruit body of the mushroom is obese and the pileus is a funnel shaped oblate structure about ½ length of stripe, so that the shape of the mushroom and its fruit body is not suitable for the bottle cultivation. Therefore, the species introduced from China is not also available on the market.
Most of Pleurotus ferulae patent-applied and improved until now have very low merchantable quality or its shape is not suitable. Thus, the bottle cultivation is impossible and therefore mass production is impossible. Therefore, the supply and distribution for actual consumers are not being carried out. Further, in order to mass produce and provide to consumers, we should develops a new variety of Pleurotus ferulae should be developed and a new medium and a cultivation method are provided, which have little restrictions on climate, time and space, and can be produced automatically by machines.